Kuroshitsuji: Master Chronicles Part One - Phantomhive, Alone
by MeekoMyachi
Summary: Part One to the prestory to an RP I'm doing. It only makes it make sense. Part 2 coming soon


Ciel and Sebastian stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at where Hannah lay with Claude. Within her belly were the souls of Luka Makren and Jim Makren.  
"I refuse to call him that," Ciel said aloud in response to his thoughts.  
"My Lord?" Sebastian murmured, looking at Ciel with forced concern.  
Ciel stared at the happily sleeping demon maid. She looked as if she were in a death-like state. She was cuddled against Claude's lifeless side, a soft smile resting on her lips. They looked exactly as Sebastian had left them.  
"It's almost been a century, Sebastian," Ciel went on. "Why hasn't Claude deteriorated?"  
"I'm not sure," Sebastian said.  
"Perhaps he drank a bit too much aspertame," the boy murmured, then sighed. "That aside, this demon business is a bore. How do you put up with it?"  
"Personally?" Sebastian thought for a second. "Forging contracts with humans whose souls are irresistable simply so I can devour them."  
"You're kidding!" Ciel groaned.  
Ciel wanted nothing to do with humans, still, after so long. It was a simple distaste, and nothing more.  
"Hannah Anafeloz," he murmured. "You intrigue me."  
"My Lord?"  
Ciel looked to Sebastian, eyes filled with what seemed to be unjust determination.  
"Ciel, you aren't thinking of-"  
"Sebastian," Ciel inturrupted. "I have an order for you. Take me to someone who can reanimate Alois Trancy, and ensure they will do it."  
Sebastian remained silent for a few moments. Ciel watched him intensely, in wait of the unevitable answer.  
"Well?" he said impatiently, crossing his arms.  
"I cannot accept that," Sebastian said awkwardly.  
"Sebastian Michaelis, are you denying your master's request?" the boy said, his blue eyes flashing with the red of the demon within him.  
"Ciel, there's strict rules about reanimation," Sebastian pointed out.  
"There are also strict rules about disobeying your master," Ciel growled. "Sebastian. Do as I say."  
Sebastian averted his eyes, shuffled his feet, and heaved a sigh.  
"Yes... My Lord."  
A small smirk crossed Ciel's lips.  
"Lead the way, then."

Sebastian led Ciel to a mansion hidden among the trees. The butler had the body of Hannah Anafeloz on his back. She looked as stiff as a dead man in Ciel's eyes. The boy shook his head and stared ahead.  
_'If she is as important as Sebastian says, then I must trust it,_' he thought to himself.  
But, then again, Sebastian had hesitated about this. Sebastian never hesitated. If there was actual danger, though, Ciel knew he would not be permitted to go.  
"The door," Ciel said stupidly as they stopped in front of it.  
"Master, as my hands are full, could you do the honor of knocking?" Sebastian asked quietly after a moment. "He who knocks becoms the client."  
Silent again, Ciel reached out for the brass knocker, which was in the shape of a tiger's head. Before he even touched it, the door creaked slowly open.  
"The mistress is expecting you," came a soft female voice, similar to the voice of Ciel's former fiancee.  
Ciel winced, thinking about Elizabeth as he and Sebastian were led inside. He missed her, at least a little, just like he missed his agonizingly dumb servants.  
"They're dead now," the girl said. "You needn't worry over them, Lord Phantomhive."  
"What?" Ciel said, intrigued rather than angry. "Have I been speaking aloud?"  
Niether the girl nor Sebastian uttered any sort of reply. Ciel decided to take the time to study his surroundings. The hallway they were in was dimly lit by candles. A dirty carpet lined the floor - what once was white now looked like several murders had occured over it. The walls were hardly visible between hundreds of paintings and large oak doors.  
"Here," the girl said.  
They had reached the hall's end. A pair of doors, much larger than the others, was right in front of them. The girl opened them to reveal a room that made the hallway look bright. Ciel strained his eyes to get a look around. Then came the sound of someone snapping their fingers. Starting at either side of the door, candles lit themselves, making a trail along the walls and stopping behind a thick balck curtain in the back of the room. In the center of the room was a woman sitting, right leg crossed over the left, on a blood-red sofa. she stood. She seemed to be wearing less clothing than a common street prostitute, but all of the vital areas were cleverly covered with black material. Metal claws attatched to her hand by az metal clamp glistened on her right hand. Falling down her back were perfect red ringlets, which contrasted greatly with the straight patch of hair blanketing the left half of her face.  
"Lord Phantomhive," she greeted Ciel, approaching him. "I've been awaiting your call for centuries."  
"I've only been alive for just over one," Ciel replied cautiously. "How could you be waiting for longer than that?"  
"I am all-knowing, all-seeing," she said, tracing underneath his chin with her right hand. The sharpness of the metal claws nearly brought pain to him.  
"Do not touch me so freely," Ciel grumbled.  
"Do pardon my inturruption, madame," Sebastian cut in before the woman could go on, "but I would advise you not to lie to my master. He detests it, and we will take our business elsewhere."  
She stared at him for nearly half a minute. Then, she continued slowly, "Sebastian had warned me that someone particularly special would come to me. I know it is you, Lord Phantomhive, as true as I am standing here."  
Ciel raised an eyebrow, curious. "Sebastian?" he said quietly. "Are you... hiding something from me?"  
"I have no secrets, My Lord," Sebastian replied assuredly. "Now, as for the task at hand..."  
"Ah, yes." Ciel looked up at the woman. "Obviously, I have a favor to ask of you. You will comply, Miss -"  
"Charlotte," she cut in.  
"Yes, Miss Charlotte." The boy's glance turned almost devious. "I ordered Sebastian to take me to an expert in reanimation, and he has brought me here. I wish for you to bring Alois Trancy back to life."  
Charlotte remained silent for a few minutes, then slowly went into a fit of laughter. Soon, she faded to an occasional chuckle and began to speak.  
"I knew that would be what you wanted," she murmured, face suddenly becoming completely serious. "I have taken the liberty of preserving his body for you. If you'll direct your attention to the curtain."  
She snapped her fingers again, and the curtain flew over to the wall. Behind it was a sofa identical to the one in the center of the room. A dark purple orb engulfed most of it. Ciel couldn't see if there was something resting inside of it.  
"Do you see this ring?" Charlotte asked, showing Ciel a spider-shaped ring on her left hand.  
"Y-yes," Ciel said.  
"Watch what happens when I remove it."  
Carefully, she squeezed either side of the spider with the claws, and it unclamped from her finger. After a few seconds, the purple sphere faded away. Laying on the sofa, as she had promised, was the beautifully unscathed body of Alois Trancy, paler with death than he was with life. Ciel averted his eyes; Alois was completely naked.  
"Sebastian, you have Hannah, correct?" Charlotte presumed.  
"Yes," Sebastian replied.  
"Come place her by Alois, then," she instructed.  
Sebastian did as she said, propping Hannah up in a sitting position against the sofa.  
"Perfect," she mused. "Now, Ciel, I need you to leave the room. Natalie will lead you to a room to relax in, won't you, Natalie?"  
The girl from before appeared from nowhere and nodded. Ciel looked to Sebastian, who nodded, and followed her from the room.  
"How could you tell my thoughts from before?" he asked once the doors were closed.  
"Mistress Charlotte is a powerful witch," she replied. "She has blessed me with such an ability in order to see through her lies."  
"She lies a lot?"  
"Aye." Natalie looked at Ciel. "It is because she is so close to the demons. They cannot see through it."  
"Sebastian could."  
"Yes, well... Perhaps because of their history."  
She pushed open a pair of doors at the center of the hallway. It revealed a grand sitting room.  
"What sort of history?" Ciel asked.  
'I don't particularly care how long ago this was...' he thought.  
"I cannot explain that," Natalie said quietly, pushing a dark strand of hair from her face. "Mistress Charlotte has eyes everywhere."  
She led Ciel into the room, gesturing for him to sit.  
"I will go and make tea," she went on. "If it pleases you, Lord Phantomhive, I will sit with you an answer any questions you may have about Mistress Charlotte."  
"Please," Ciel replied, sitting down a bit uncomfortably.  
_'If she has so-called eyes everywhere, I will have to be cautious about what I ask,' he thought after she left. 'Also, Natalie can read thoughts. I will have to be extremely cautious about what I think as well. This conversation is going to be tiedious work, I suppose.'_  
He heaved a sigh.  
"I don't mind your thoughts," came Natalie's voice. Ciel froze.  
"Wh-what?"  
"I apologize. I can't help it," she said, pushing a cart with a tea set on it. "I've prepared Earl Grey. I hope that is to your taste."  
"Yes, thank you," Ciel said, accepting the cup and saucer in one hand. He took a sip.  
"If there is a question you'd rather not ask aloud," she said while sitting across from him, "then you need only close your eyes and think it. I will answer it without your speaking."  
"Sounds fair," he said. "Alright, what exactly is she doing to Alois?"  
"Reanimating him by extracting his soul from Hannah. Upon transferring it back into his own body, he will breathe once again."  
"How does that work?"  
She shrugged. "I've never witnessed a reanimation, so I cannot say that I know."  
Ciel took a long drink of tea before looking at her.  
"Well then, my next que-"  
"Natalie!" came Charlotte's voice, screeching down the hallway. "I require assistance!"  
Natalie stood. "I apologize, Lord Phantomhive, but the mistress calls."  
With that, she left the room in great hurry.  
_'I've only asked two questions,'_ Ciel thought as he finished up his tea. 'What the hell could be going on? Is Alois' soul resisting?'  
Ciel smiled at the thought of that. It seemed likely for Alois to resist something if he was happy with his current predicament. Ciel looked at the bottom of the cup.  
_'Yes, he must be happy with Hannah,'_ he thought bitterly. _'His brother is in there with him. That's all he wanted - to be with his family.'_  
His smile faded, and he placed the cup and saucer back onto the cart. He placed his forehead in his hands. Alois would have Luka and Hannah forever.  
_'I have no family, yet he has Hannah and Luka. It isn't fair,'_ he thought, overcome with childish jealousy._ 'I'm alone here, besides Sebastian.'_  
He stared at the empty bookcases on the other side of the room. He only had Sebastian.  
_'I'm completely alone,'_ he told himself._ 'But... Is it worth it to derive Alois of his happiness for my own selfish desires?'_  
Ciel looked over as he felt Natalie's presence again.  
"Lord Phantomhive, I assure you it will be worth it," she said. "Please, come. I shall show you why."  
Ciel stood and quietly followed her. She led him back to where he had met Charlotte.  
Across the room was Alois and Hannah. Hannah was already standing with little aid from Sebastian, and the color was slowly returning to Alois' body. Ciel smiled again, not knowing why.  
_'Natalie, you were right,_' he thought.  
Natalie looked at him and smiled.

_'It is totally, completely worth it.'_


End file.
